1962·69 min·Released

Band of Thieves

Crime
Music

A group of prisoners are encouraged to form a jazz band and vow to go straight when they are released to tour the country. However, the trumpets and clarinets are just a cover for a series of robberies. Musical comedy, starring British jazz star Acker Bilk as himself, alongside Jimmy Thompson and Jennifer Jayne.

7.4(5 votes)

Popularity0

CinemaView Experience

53/100

Timepass

CinemaView Score

Best Format

STANDARD

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Confidence

68%

Why we recommend it

ℹFine as a timepass if you're curious
ℹTMDB rating 7.4/10 from 5 votes
✗Dialogue-driven scenes do not justify premium pricing.
✗Premium formats add little value for this title.
·Limited technical metadata reduces recommendation confidence.

Cast & Crew

Acker Bilk

Self

Colin Smith

Flash

Jonathan Mortimer

Fingers

Ronald McKay

Scouse

Roy James

Dippy

Stan Greig

Haggis

Ernest Price

The Mole

Geoffrey Sumner

The Governor

Jimmy Thompson

Dandy

Jennifer Jayne

Anne

Arthur Mullard

Getaway

Maudie Edwards

The Duchess

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CinemaSerf

Written on 1/27/2024

There's no point in watching this if you're not into Acker Bilk's distinctive style of jazz. The story itself is almost irrelevant and pretty far fetched! He and his band have been in and out of prison - using their band's touring as a front for some grand larceny, but really not having the wits to get away with anything afterwards. Luckily, the prison governor (Geoffrey Sumner) is an avid fan of the music, so they continue to get a pretty easy ride whilst behind bars plotting more daft criminal antics. All the while, we are treated to a selection of his music (co-written with Norrie Paramor who, cleverly, only features the once!) and a duet or two with Carol Deene. It's harmless fun that delivers a sort of "Carry On" feel to the crime caper aspect, but it's really just a showcase for the man and his music. Enjoy it for that.